currie



Aug. 11, 1959 G. c. Cl JRRIE, JR

CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1956 G20 v52 C. Came/6,

INVENTOR.

BY guihwlud4- d gh.

ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1959 e. c. CURRIE, JR

CARTON Filed June 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS m m N E w United States Patent CARTON Grover C. Currie, Jr., Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Decam Corporation, Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Application June '13, 1956, Serial No. 591,090

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-40) This invention relates to packages and more particularly to a package or carton formed from a single unitary blank of cardboard material.

Presently there are in wide use two basic types of cartons for containing cylindrical objects such as cans of beer, the first type being a completely closed carton and the second type being an open end carton wherein opposite ends are completely open. The first type of carton is expensive to manufacture since it entails the use of considerably more cardboard material and involves a more expensive operation for placing the cans therein. However, this type of carton has the desirable features of strength and rigidity and by completely enclosing the cans prevents the same from ever falling or being displaced therefrom.

The second type of carton, although having the desirable features of open ends to elfect considerable savings in cardboard material and for displaying and aiding the cooling of the contents therein is considerably weakened by the provision of can engaging slots or can locking tabs for maintaining the cans in the carton. Also,'when the cans are initially placed in this type of carton they are tightly engaged by the carton, but after handling the carton material sometimes stretches or tears to permit the cans to fall therefrom. It has also been found that due to rapid changes in humidity, particularly when the cartons are placed in a cooling unit, the cardboard material swells or stretches which permits the cans to be displaced therefrom.

With the above features of these two basic cartons in mind, it is the primary object of this invention to' provide a carton having only the desirable features of both of these types, namely, a carton having considerable strength :and rigidity formed from a single integral blank of cardboard material completely surrounding the contents therein with openings provided in the corner portions of the carton to display and to facilitate the cooling of the contents therein.

It is a more specific object of this invention to form a carton having open corners from a single unitary carton blank having upper and lower main walls connected together by end walls of reduced width and wherein the main walls are provided with spaced apart cut-out portions or openings in vertical alinement to permit a coolant to flow through the filled carton and wherein the upper and lower main walls are provided with overlapping flaps which form the side walls of the carton, which flaps have inwardly sloping edge portions to aid in providing the open corners of the carton.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a carton which is economical to manufacture and easily assembled and having a symmetrical or balanced appearance presenting a distinctive carton pleasing to the eye.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which- 2,899,123 Patented Aug. 11, 1959 Figure 1 is a plan view of the carton blank for forming the carton therefrom; 1

Figure 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, with parts broken away for clarity and showing the carton partially assembled; 1

Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2 and showing the carton fully assembled with cylindrical objects contained therein;

Figure 4 is an end view of the assembled carton of Figure 3 with the contents thereof removed;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the carton shown in Figure 3 with the contents thereof removed.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, and particularly Figure 1, a carton blank formed from a single unitary piece of cardboard is shown for forming a carton broadly indicated at 10. The carton blank comprises a lower main wall or bottom wall 11 having a pair of spaced apart substantially diamond-shaped openings or cut-out portions 12 provided in a medial portion which openings serve to permit cooling fluids to enter and flow through the assembled carton. The lower main wall 11 is substantially rectangularly shaped and is provided with cut away corner portions as defined by edge portions 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d.

Side wall flaps 13, 14 are hingedly connected to opposite sides of the lower main wall 11 along score or crease lines 15, 16 respectively. It should be noted that the score or crease lines 14, 15 have a length less than the length of the lower main wall 11 and have their outer extremities defined by the edge portions 11a, 11b and 11c, 11d, respectively.

The side wall flaps 13, 14 are substantially frustoconically shaped and each has a first pair of inwardly sloping side edge portions 13a, 14a, respectively, and a second pair of inwardly sloping side edge portions 13b, 14b, respectively, terminating at opposite ends of an outer edge portion 13c, 140, respectively. It should be noted that the outer edge portions 13c, are substantially parallel to each other and to the crease or score lines 15, 16 and each have a length of substantially greater than one-half the length of the score or crease lines.

Substantially I-shaped end walls 20, 21 are hingedly connected to opposite ends of the lower main wall 11 along score or crease lines 17, 18, respectively. The end walls 20, 21 are each provided with a reduced medial portion as defined by pairs of parallel opposite edge portions 20a, 21a, respectively. Outwardly sloping edge portions 20b, 20c and 21b, 21c extend from the opposite ends of each of the pairs of end wall edge portions 20a, 21a, respectively. It should be noted that the outwardly sloping edge portions 20b, 21b form a straight line with opposite corner edge portions 11a, 11d and 11b, 11c of the lower main wall 11.

An upper main wall or top wall 22 is hingedly connected to the end wall 21 along score or crease line 23. The upper main wall 22 is provided with a pair of spaced apart openings or cut-out portions 24 having the same diamond-shaped configuration as the openings 12 in the bottom main wall 11. The upper main wall 22 has a width of substantially the same as the width of the lower main wall 11 but has a length slightly less than the length of the lower main wall for reasons shortly to be explained. The wall 22 also has cut away corner portions, but only adjacent the score line 23, as defined by the edge portions 22a, 22b. It should be noted that these edge portions 22a, 22b form a straight line with the outwardly sloping edge portions 210 provided on the end wall 21. The outer edge of the top wall 22 is defined main wall "22. Each of these side wall flaps 30, 31 are frusto-conically shaped and'of the same size as the side wall flaps 13, 14. The fiaps'30, 31 each have a first pair of inwardly sloping side edge portions 30a, 31a and a second pair 30b, 31b; respectively. Parallel outeredge portions 30c, 31c define the outermostlimits ,ofthelside wall flaps '30, :31, respectively.

'Hingedly-connecteda'long score or crease line 40 to the end wall 20.is an ,end wall securing tab or iflap broadly indicated at 41. The flap 41 is defined by outwardly sloping edge portions 41a which serve as .the equivalent .of the edge portions 11a, .1111 on thebottorn wall 11 .for presenting a symmetrical appearance to the assembled carton as will be readily understood upon an inspection of Figure 2. 'Fromthe outermostllimits of'the edge portions 41a extend edge portions 41b which are inwardly sloped tofacilitate the insertion of the flap .41 between the side wall flaps 30 and 31 when assembling the carton.

To assemble the carton blank of 'Figure 1, the end ,walls 20, '21 are folded into an upright or vertical position parallel to each other along their respective score lines 17, 18. Now, the upper main wall or top wall'22 is folded inwardly parallel to ,the lower main wall or bottom wall 11 along'the score or crease line 23. The end wall tab or flap 41 is now folded inwardly into juxtaposed position to .the top wall .22 with the edge portions 41a thereof exposed and vertically alined-with the edge portions 11a, 11d on the bottom wall'll. Glue or cement G applied to the uppermost surface of thefflap or tab 41 as viewed in Figure 2 secures the tab to the underside of the top wall '22.

Prior to the side wall flaps 13, 14, 30 and '31 being secured to each other-.to fiorm the side walls of the carton, cylindrical objects or cans C are movedinto the carton through both theopen side walls. Now with the cans C positioned in .the carton the flaps13 and '14 are folded into an upright position along their score or crease'lines 15, '16 respectively, after which the flaps 30, 31 are folded downwardly along their score or crease lines ,26, ,27, respectively to overlie the flaps 13 and 14. Glueor cement G applied to the inner surface of each of ;the downwardly folded'flaps130, 31 maintains the carton'in closed position.

With the carton in assembled position it should be noted that the pair of lcuteout portions or openings 24 provided in the upper main wall v22 are positionedin vertical alinement withthe cut-out portions or openings 12 in the'lower main wall 11 to permit cold air or a cooling media to flow through the carton .to cool the contents therein. It should also be noted that'the openings 24 and12 are sopositionedwithrespect to the cans C .that the proximal walls of the cans form parallel passageways through the carton.

:It should further be noted that the reduced widthof .the end walls 20, 21 as defincdby theedgeportionsZQa,

21a, respectively, in conjunction withthejinwardlyjsloping edgeportions of ,the side wallflaps' provide substantial openings in the corner portions oftthe carton to also ;aid in the circulation of a coolingvfluidthrough the carton to rapidly cool the contents ofthe cans therein. The open corner portionsalso aid in displaying the contents of the .carton since substantial portions of thecanspositioned inthe cornerportions of the Vcarton are,readily visible.

The cut-out portions or openings 12 and 24 provided 'in the lower'and upper main walls 11 and 22 in addition to serving as ingresslandtegress openings topermit the flowing of a coolant through the carton also ,servelas "handles or finger engaging openingsto aid incarryingfthe Lcarton.

Although the side wall flaps 13, 114, SO-and 31am shown as being substantially frusto-conically shaped and -identical to eachother it is within the scope of the invention to provide the flaps with a different shape, for example, hemispherically shaped which would still provide substantial openings in the corner portions of the carton. Also, it is within the scope of the invention to reduce the size of the upwardly folded flaps 13, 14 as compared to the flaps 30,31 0r to increase the size of the downwardly folded flaps 30, 31 as compared to the up- Merrily ifie sied iflep 13, 1 u h minor h ng s wo l still present '-.a .Qartqn .;having all the desirable features above enumerated and a carton giving a symmetrical or ba ced pp arance- It is also within the scope of the invention to form the end walls 20, 21 with inwardly curved smooth edge portions or in any other similar manner so long as substantial openings are provided in the corner portions of the. carton.

It shouldybe noted that the openings provided in the corner portions of the cartonare substantially less than the diameter of the cylindrical objects or cans C therein to prevent the same from moving or falling out of the carton.

It isthus seen thatthere has been provided an improved package or carton having all the desirable features of strength and rigidity of a completely closed carton and all the desirable features ofan open end carton.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a'preferre'd embodiment of the invention and, althoughspecific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

' I claim:

A carton formed from a single blank of cardboard material-comprising parallel upper and lower main walls, one of-s aidmain walls being of greater length than the other, 'a'first end wall hingedly connecting proximal ends of said upper andlower main walls together, a second end wall hingedly connected to the opposite end of said longer main wall, a flap hingedly connected to said second end wall and having a free end extending inwardly in juxtaposition to :the shorter main wall, a length of said flap equal to the difference in the length of said main walls being visible and serving-to define an extension of said shorter main wall'and adhesive securing the free end portions of said flap to said shorter main wall, and flaps hingedly'connected-to opposite sides of said main walls, said'fiaps'extending from opposite sides of one main wall being-securedto the fiaps extending from the opposite sides of theother main wall to form carton side walls, at least a medial portion of the end walls being of a lesser width than said-main walls, and the width of the flaps taken parallel :to the longitudinal axisof the carton each 'being'less-at a-medial portion thereof than thelength of the main walls whereby substantial openings are presented #at thecorner portions of the carton.

:Iteferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS '2,-233;221 Olivier Feb. 25 1941 2,359,297 Brogden Oct. 3, 1944 '2;-359, 298 I "Brogden Oct. 3, 1944 21554,] *Hennessey, May 22, 1951 2,593,895 Kohl Apr. 22, 1952 2,611,527 Fisher Sept. 23, 1952 2,654,475 Carpenter 'Oct. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS .i l .1- 4 IQIQ VBI laiH Dec. 15, 1927 

